DEVARIM

The author of the Lamentations is surprised and wonders HOW COULD IT BE that out of anger G-d raised Zion to the clouds in order to throw her down from the highest peak to the lowest depths.

He has "thrown down from heaven the Land which is the glory of Israel," a people about whom it is written, "...The L-rd your G-d placed you on high, over all the nations of the earth" (Deut. 28:1); and in that time Israel was above all the stars and constellations (and she was not ruled by them, but she was superior to them).

Also, the author has in mind the heavenly Temple. While the Temple existed none of the evil prophecies could take place. The Temple protected the people. Chazal said that no sin was accounted for anyone who slept in Yerushalayim. The daily sacrifice of the morning atoned for all the sins that were commited there during the night, and the daily sacrifice of the afternoon atoned for all the sins that were commited there during the day. Therefore, all the evil prophecies only took place after the destruction of the Temple, and this is what the author meant when he wrote, "How could it be that the anger of the L-rd has clouded over the daughter of Zion, thrown down from heaven the Land which is the glory of Israel...."

It happened that our Holy Rabbi (Rebbe Yehudah the prince) was reading from the Book of Lamentations, and when he came to the verse which says that G-d has "...thrown down from heaven the Land" the scroll fell from his hands. He said, "From the highest peak to the deepest depth...."

The meaning is according to what Chazal said that when Israel ascend, they ascend many, many levels, as it is written, "...You shall be only above" (Deut. 28:13). Consequently, when they descend, they descend many, many levels, as it is written, "...And you shall descend lower and lower" (ibid. 43), and this is what it means, "...thrown down from heaven the Land." Since the ascent was so high, until heaven, the descent is very terrible. If Israel had not been raised and exalted to the heavenly hights, then the fall would not have been so bad even if it entailed difficult sufferings. The sufferings would not have been felt so much if Israel had not seen greatness and exaltation. But now, that G-d had exalted them above all the nations and languages, they feel the fall very intensely because He has "thrown down from heaven the Land which was the glory of Israel." This is what King David said, "I have eaten ashes like bread.... Because of Your wrath and indignation; because you have raised me up and cast me down" (Psalms 102:10-11). Since you exalted me at first, I felt the wrath upon me exceedingly.

(Yalkut Me'am Lo'ez)

The Abarbanel, in the Introduction to his commentary on the Book of Kings, describes the decree of expulsion which was promulgated by King Ferdinand of Spain on the first day of Adar 5252 (February 1492), and which came into effect on the first of May, in the same year.

In the ninth year, 5252 of our count, the King of Spain conquered the entire Kingdom of Granada and all the surrounding principalities. In his strength and hubris he attributed all this might to his god. Then Esau thought in his heart, "How can I appease the god for all this valor which he has given me in war? What can I offer to my Master who has given this city into my hands if not to bring under his wings this nation that goes in darkness, Israel, these cast away sheep, to return them to his faith and religion, or else to cast them into another land, away from my face, that they will no longer live in my land or dwell in the sight of my eyes."

At the time I was in the court of the king, and I swooned when I read the proclamation. I spoke two or three times to the king. My mouth was full of supplications to him, saying, "May the King save us. Why should you do this to your servants? Heap upon us taxes and exactments. Everyone of Israel will give whatever he has for the sake of his country."

I called upon my friends who frequented in the company of the King to ask for my people. The nobility joined together to speak to the King forcefully to rescind the proclamaion of anger and wrath, to abandon the thought of destroying the Jews.

But like a deaf cobra, his ears were stopped. No matter what, he would not rescind the decree. The Queen was standing by his side to instigate him. She allured him with honeyed words to both start and finish the deed.

We exhausted every means. We did not rest. I did not stop or rest or retire lest the calamity come.

When the people heard this terrible thing, they mourned. Wherever the authority of the King reached there was tremendous mourning among the Jews, great fear and sorrow on a scale that had never before taken place since Judah had been exiled from their Land to foreign countries.

People said to each other, "Be strong, and let us strengthen ourselves for the sake of our religion and for the sake of the Torah of our G-d, despite the curses and vilifications of our enemies and avengers. If He gives us life, then we will live. If He gives us death, then we will die; we will die, but we will not profane our covenant, nor turn our hearts away. We will go in the name of the L-rd our G-d."

The Abarbanel also writes about the expulsion in his commentary to the Book of Jeremiah, on the verse (Jeremiah 2:24), "...In her month they will find her."

When the King of Spain decreed expulsion of all the Jews from his kingdom, it was to take place in three months. This term was completed and the day of departure was the ninth of Av! He did not know about this day, and it was as if he had been guided by Heaven to fix this time.

Yerushalayim was "...Great among the nations" (Lamentations 1:1), and great among philosophers and ideologies. Its inhabitants were considered great among those whose minds were trained in learning. Chazal said that wherever an inhabitant of Yerushalayim went, the people in that place prepared a place for him to sit in order to hear his wisdom. Therefore, the author of Lamentations wonders, "How could it be that Yerushalayim sits alone, the city that was great among the nations...," the city that was filled with wisdom? How could it be that her wisdom did not help her?

Rebbe Yehoshua the son of Chananyah said, "Once I was journeying, and the way passed through some fields. A little girl said to me, `Rebbe, are these not private fields through which you are passing?'

"I said to her, `No. This is a beaten track upon which I am walking.'

She said to him, "It is robbers like you who have beaten the way."

He went from there and came upon a little boy who was sitting by a fork in the road. "I said to him, `Which is the nearest way to the city?'

"He said to me, `This way is closer and further, and this way is further and closer.'"

Rebbe Yehoshua went along the way which was "closer and further." When he approached the city he found gardens and orchards which were surrounded by walls in the way. He went back to the child and said to him, "My son, is this way closer to the city?"

The child said to him, "You are one of the sages of Israel? Did I not say to you that this way is closer and further, and this way is further and closer."

At that time Rebbe Yeshoshua said, "Happy is your portion, Israel, that you are all wise, from your great ones to the little children."

It happened that a person came from Athens to Yerushalayim. He found a child, gave him a few coins, and said to him, "Go and buy for me some food that I may eat and be satisfied, and some will be left to provide for me along the way."

The child went and brought back salt. The man said, "If I had wanted salt I would have said that explicitly."

The child said to him, "Did you not say that you wanted something that you could eat, and be satisfied, and there will be left of it to provide for you on the way. This has all the qualities that you asked for."

This story teaches us that the children of Yerushalayim were wise, and there was fulfilled among them the verse, "And all your children are students of G-d..." (Isaiah 54:13). The child intimated by bringing salt, which is a preservative, that if a person wants to preserve his money, then he should give charity. Then his money will bear fruit in the world to come, and for his descendants, and they will also eat from the fruit by following in his ways. Thus, it is written, "Your charity will go before you, and the glory of G-d will gather you in" (Isaiah 58:8).

It happened that a person came from Athens to Yerushalayim. He found a child, gave him sone coins, and said to him, "Go and bring for me eggs and cheeses."

When the child returned the man said to him, "Show me which cheese comes from the milk of white goats, and which cheese comes from the milk of black goats."

It is said that the man wanted to intimate that by this query that a good child is born from a good father, and a bad child is born from a bad father.

However, the child said to him, "You are an old man. Show me which eggs are from white chickens and which from black chickens." In other words, the child explained to him that it is possible for a righteous person to give birth to a wicked person, and the opposite is also possible.

We conclude with a prayer that these words of the prophet may soon be fulfilled, "And all your children shall be students of G-d, and there shall be great peace among your children" (Isaiah 54:13). May all our children be learned with the knowledge of G-d, as the prophet Yermiyahu said, "A man shall no longer teach his friend, nor a man his brother, saying, "Know G-d," because everyone will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest among them" (Jeremiah 31:34). Then there will be great peace among the children.

"And all your children shall be students of G-d, and there shall be great peace among your children." However, this is preceded by the verse, "Afflicted and tossed with tempest, without comfort...." In the exile there is no rest, but when the Redemption comes, then your children will merit to peace. They will not be tempest tossed and forced to desist from the learning of Torah because of the troubles of the exile. They will all be learned students of G-d. They will be able to learn in comfort. Thus, they will be blessed with great peace; and may the A-lmighty bring these promised times speedily in our days.